OTTAWA TREATY
Convention on the Prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and
transfer of antipersonnel mines and on their destruction.
The States
Parties,
Determined to put an end to the suffering and casualties caused by
anti-personnel mines, that kill or maim hundreds of people every week, mostly
innocent and defenceless civilians and especially children, obstruct economic
development and reconstruction, inhibit the repatriation of refugees and
internally displaced persons, and have other severe consequences for years after
emplacement,
Believing it necessary to do their utmost to contribute in an efficient
and coordinated manner to face the challenge of removing anti-personnel mines
placed throughout the world, and to assure their destruction,
Wishing to do their utmost in providing
assistance for the care and rehabilitation, including the social and economic
reintegration of mine victims,
Recognizing that a total ban of anti-personnel mines would also be an
important confidence-building measure,
Welcoming the adoption of the Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on
the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices, as amended on 3 May 1996,
annexed to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain
Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have
Indiscriminate Effects, and calling for the early ratification of this Protocol
by all States which have not yet done so,
Welcoming also United Nations General Assembly Resolution 51/45 S of 10
December 1996 urging all States to pursue vigorously an effective,
legally-binding international agreement to ban the use, stockpiling, production
and transfer of anti-personnel landmines,
Welcoming furthermore the measures taken over the past years, both
unilaterally and multilaterally, aiming at prohibiting, restricting or
suspending the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel
mines,
Stressing the role of public conscience in furthering the principles of
humanity as evidenced by the call for a total ban of anti-personnel mines and
recognizing the efforts to that end undertaken by the International Red Cross
and Red Crescent Movement, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and
numerous other non-governmental organizations around the world,
Recalling the Ottawa Declaration of 5 October 1996 and the Brussels
Declaration of 27 June 1997 urging the international community to negotiate an
international and legally binding agreement prohibiting the use, stockpiling,
production and transfer of anti-personnel mines,
Emphasizing the desirability of attracting the adherence of all States to
this Convention, and determined to work strenuously towards the promotion of its
universalization in all relevant fora including, inter alia, the United Nations,
the Conference on Disarmament, regional organizations, and groupings, and review
conferences of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of
Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or
to Have Indiscriminate Effects,
Basing themselves on the principle of international humanitarian law that
the right of the parties to an armed conflict to choose methods or means of
warfare is not unlimited, on the principle that prohibits the employment in
armed conflicts of weapons, projectiles and materials and methods of warfare of
a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering and on the
principle that a distinction must be made between civilians and combatants,
Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
General
obligations
1.Each State Party undertakes never under any circumstances:
a.To use anti-personnel mines;
b.To develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, retain or transfer to
anyone, directly or indirectly, anti-personnel mines;
c.To assist, encourage or induce, in any way, anyone to engage in any activity
prohibited to a State Party under this Convention.
2.Each State Party undertakes to destroy or ensure the destruction of all
anti-personnel mines in accordance with the provisions of this Convention.
Article 2
Definitions
1."Anti-personnel mine" means a mine designed to be exploded by the presence,
proximity or contact of a person and that will incapacitate, injure or kill one
or more persons. Mines designed to be detonated by the presence, proximity or
contact of a vehicle as opposed to a person, that are equipped with
anti-handling devices, are not considered anti-personnel mines as a result of
being so equipped.
2."Mine" means a munition designed to be placed under, on or near the ground or
other surface area and to be exploded by the presence, proximity or contact of a
person or a vehicle.
3."Anti-handling device" means a device intended to protect a mine and which is
part of, linked to, attached to or placed under the mine and which activates
when an attempt is made to tamper with or otherwise intentionally disturb the
mine.
4."Transfer" involves, in addition to the physical movement of anti-personnel
mines into or from national territory, the transfer of title to and control over
the mines, but does not involve the transfer of territory containing emplaced
anti-personnel mines.
5."Mined area" means an area which is dangerous due to the presence or suspected
presence of mines.
Article 3
Exceptions
1.Notwithstanding the general obligations under Article 1, the retention or
transfer of a number of anti-personnel mines for the development of and training
in mine detection, mine clearance, or mine destruction techniques is permitted.
The amount of such mines shall not exceed the minimum number absolutely
necessary for the above-mentioned purposes.
2.The transfer of anti-personnel mines for the purpose of destruction is
permitted.
Article 4
Destruction of
stockpiled anti-personnel mines
Except as provided for in Article 3, each State Party undertakes to destroy or
ensure the destruction of all stockpiled anti-personnel mines it owns or
possesses, or that are under its jurisdiction or control, as soon as possible
but not later than four years after the entry into force of this Convention for
that State Party.
Article 5
Destruction of
anti-personnel mines in mined areas
1.Each State Party undertakes to destroy or ensure the destruction of all
anti-personnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control, as soon
as possible but not later than ten years after the entry into force of this
Convention for that State Party.
2.Each State Party shall make every effort to identify all areas under its
jurisdiction or control in which anti-personnel mines are known or suspected to
be emplaced and shall ensure as soon as possible that all anti-personnel mines
in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control are perimeter-marked, monitored
and protected by fencing or other means, to ensure the effective exclusion of
civilians, until all anti-personnel mines contained therein have been destroyed.
The marking shall at least be to the standards set out in the Protocol on
Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices,
as amended on 3 May 1996, annexed to the Convention on Prohibitions or
Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to
Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects.
3.If a State Party believes that it will be unable to destroy or ensure the
destruction of all anti-personnel mines referred to in paragraph 1 within that
time period, it may submit a request to a Meeting of the States Parties or a
Review Conference for an extension of the deadline for completing the
destruction of such anti-personnel mines, for a period of up to ten years.
4.Each request shall contain:
a.The duration of the proposed extension;
b.A detailed explanation of the reasons for the proposed extension, including:
i.The preparation and status of work conducted under national demining programs;
ii.The financial and technical means available to the State Party for the
destruction of all
the anti-personnel mines; and
iii.Circumstances which impede the ability of the State Party to destroy all the
anti-personnel mines in mined areas;
c.The humanitarian, social, economic, and environmental implications of the
extension; and
d.Any other information relevant to the request for the proposed extension.
5.The Meeting of the States Parties or the Review Conference shall, taking into
consideration the factors contained in paragraph 4, assess the request and
decide by a majority of votes of States Parties present and voting whether to
grant the request for an extension period.
6.Such an extension may be renewed upon the submission of a new request in
accordance with paragraphs 3, 4 and 5 of this Article. In requesting a further
extension period a State Party shall submit relevant additional information on
what has been undertaken in the previous extension period pursuant to this
Article.
Article 6
International
cooperation and assistance
1.In fulfilling its obligations under this Convention each State Party has the
right to seek and receive assistance, where feasible, from other States Parties
to the extent possible.
2.Each State Party undertakes to facilitate and shall have the right to
participate in the fullest possible exchange of equipment, material and
scientific and technological information concerning the implementation of this
Convention. The States Parties shall not impose undue restrictions on the
provision of mine clearance equipment and related technological information for
humanitarian purposes.
3.Each State Party in a position to do so shall provide assistance for the
care and rehabilitation, and social and economic reintegration, of mine victims
and for mine awareness programs. Such assistance may be provided, inter alia,
through the United Nations system, international, regional or national
organizations or institutions, the International Committee of the Red Cross,
national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and their International
Federation, non-governmental organizations, or on a bilateral basis.
4.Each State Party in a position to do so shall provide assistance for mine
clearance and related activities. Such assistance may be provided, inter alia,
through the United Nations system, international or regional organizations or
institutions, non-governmental organizations or institutions, or on a bilateral
basis, or by contributing to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for
Assistance in Mine Clearance, or other regional funds that deal with demining.
5.Each State Party in a position to do so shall provide assistance for the
destruction of stockpiled anti-personnel mines.
6.Each State Party undertakes to provide information to the database on mine
clearance established within the United Nations system, especially information
concerning various means and technologies of mine clearance, and lists of
experts, expert agencies or national points of contact on mine clearance.
7.States Parties may request the United Nations, regional organizations, other
States Parties or other
competent intergovernmental or non-governmental fora to assist its authorities
in the elaboration of a national demining program to determine, inter alia:
a.The extent and scope of the anti-personnel mine problem;
b.The financial, technological and human resources that are required for the
implementation of the program;
c.The estimated number of years necessary to destroy all anti-personnel mines in
mined areas under the jurisdiction or control of the concerned State Party;
d.Mine awareness activities to reduce the incidence of mine-related injuries or
deaths;
e.Assistance to mine victims;
f.The relationship between the Government of the concerned State Party and the
relevant governmental, inter-governmental or non-governmental entities that will
work in the implementation of the program.
8.Each State Party giving and receiving assistance under the provisions of this
Article shall cooperate with a view to ensuring the full and prompt
implementation of agreed assistance programs.
Article 7
Transparency
measures
1.Each State Party shall report to the Secretary-General of the United Nations
as soon as practicable, and in any event not later than 180 days after the entry
into force of this Convention for that State Party on:
a.The national implementation measures referred to in Article 9;
b.The total of all stockpiled anti-personnel mines owned or possessed by it, or
under its jurisdiction or control, to include a breakdown of the type, quantity
and, if possible, lot numbers of each type of anti-personnel mine stockpiled;
c.To the extent possible, the location of all mined areas that contain, or are
suspected to contain, anti-personnel mines under its jurisdiction or control, to
include as much detail as possible regarding the type and quantity of each type
of anti-personnel mine in each mined area and when they were emplaced;
d.The types, quantities and, if possible, lot numbers of all anti-personnel
mines retained or transferred for the development of and training in mine
detection, mine clearance or mine destruction techniques, or transferred for the
purpose of destruction, as well as the institutions authorized by a State Party
to retain or transfer anti-personnel mines, in accordance with Article 3;
e.The status of programs for the conversion or de-commissioning of
anti-personnel mine production facilities;
f.The status of programs for the destruction of anti-personnel mines in
accordance with Articles 4 and 5, including details of the methods which will be
used in destruction, the location of all destruction sites and the applicable
safety and environmental standards to be observed;
g.The types and quantities of all anti-personnel mines destroyed after the entry
into force of this Convention for that State Party, to include a breakdown of
the quantity of each type of anti-personnel mine destroyed, in accordance with
Articles 4 and 5, respectively, along with, if possible, the lot numbers of each
type of anti-personnel mine in the case of destruction in accordance with
Article 4;
h.The technical characteristics of each type of anti-personnel mine produced, to
the extent known, and those currently owned or possessed by a State Party,
giving, where reasonably possible, such categories of information as may
facilitate identification and clearance of anti-personnel mines; at a minimum,
this information shall include the dimensions, fusing, explosive content,
metallic content, colour photographs and other information which may facilitate
mine clearance; and
i.The measures taken to provide an immediate and effective warning to the
population in relation to all areas identified under paragraph 2 of Article 5.
2.The information provided in accordance with this Article shall be updated by
the States Parties annually, covering the last calendar year, and reported to
the Secretary-General of the United Nations not later than 30 April of each
year.
3.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall transmit all such reports
received to the States Parties.
Article 8
Facilitation and
clarification of compliance
1.The States Parties agree to consult and cooperate with each other regarding
the implementation of the provisions of this Convention, and to work together in
a spirit of cooperation to facilitate compliance by States rties with their
obligations under this Convention.
2.If one or more States Parties wish to clarify and seek to resolve questions
relating to compliance with the provisions of this Convention by another State
Party, it may submit, through the Secretary-General of the United Nations, a
Request for Clarification of that matter to that State Party. Such a request
shall be accompanied by all appropriate information. Each State Party shall
refrain from unfounded Requests for Clarification, care being taken to avoid
abuse. A State Party that receives a Request for Clarification shall provide,
through the Secretary-General of the United Nations, within 28 days to the
requesting State Party all information which would assist in clarifying this
matter.
3.If the requesting State Party does not receive a response through the
Secretary-General of the United Nations within that time period, or deems the
response to the Request for Clarification to be unsatisfactory, it may submit
the matter through the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the next
Meeting of the States Parties. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall
transmit the submission, accompanied by all appropriate information pertaining
to the Request for Clarification, to all States Parties. All such information
shall be presented to the requested State Party which shall have the right to
respond.
4.Pending the convening of any meeting of the States Parties, any of the States
Parties concerned may request the Secretary-General of the United Nations to
exercise his or her good offices to facilitate the clarification requested.
5.The requesting State Party may propose through the Secretary-General of the
United Nations the convening of a Special Meeting of the States Parties to
consider the matter. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall thereupon
communicate this proposal and all information submitted by the States Parties
concerned, to all States Parties with a request that they indicate whether they
favour a Special Meeting of the States Parties, for the purpose of considering
the matter. In the event that within 14 days from the date of such
communication, at least one-third of the States Parties favours such a Special
Meeting, the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall convene this Special
Meeting of the States Parties within a further 14 days. A quorum for this
Meeting shall consist of a majority of States Parties.
6.The Meeting of the States Parties or the Special Meeting of the States
Parties, as the case may be, shall first determine whether to consider the
matter further, taking into account all information submitted by the States
Parties concerned. The Meeting of the States Parties or the Special Meeting of
the States Parties shall make every effort to reach a decision by consensus. If
despite all efforts to that end no agreement has been reached, it shall take
this decision by a majority of States Parties present and voting.
7.All States Parties shall cooperate fully with the Meeting of the States
Parties or the Special Meeting of the States Parties in the fulfilment of its
review of the matter, including any fact-finding missions that are authorized in
accordance with paragraph 8.
8.If further clarification is required, the Meeting of the States Parties or the
Special Meeting of the States Parties shall authorize a fact-finding mission and
decide on its mandate by a majority of States Parties present and voting. At any
time the requested State Party may invite a fact-finding mission to its
territory. Such a mission shall take place without a decision by a Meeting of
the States Parties or a Special Meeting of the States Parties to authorize such
a mission. The mission, consisting of up to 9 experts, designated and approved
in accordance with paragraphs 9 and 10, may collect additional information on
the spot or in other places directly related to the alleged compliance issue
under the jurisdiction or control of the requested State Party.
9.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall prepare and update a list of
the names, nationalities and other relevant data of qualified experts provided
by States Parties and communicate it to all States Parties. Any expert included
on this list shall be regarded as designated for all fact-finding missions
unless a State Party declares its non-acceptance in writing. In the event of
non-acceptance, the expert shall not participate in fact-finding missions on the
territory or any other place under the jurisdiction or control of the objecting
State Party, if the non-acceptance was declared prior to the appointment of the
expert to such missions.
10.Upon receiving a request from the Meeting of the States Parties or a Special
Meeting of the States Parties, the Secretary-General of the United Nations
shall, after consultations with the requested State Party, appoint the members
of the mission, including its leader. Nationals of States Parties requesting the
fact-finding mission or directly affected by it shall not be appointed to the
mission. The members of the fact-finding mission shall enjoy privileges and
immunities under Article VI of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities
of the United Nations, adopted on 13 February 1946.
11.Upon at least 72 hours notice, the members of the fact-finding mission shall
arrive in the territory of the requested State Party at the earliest
opportunity. The requested State Party shall take the necessary administrative
measures to receive, transport and accommodate the mission, and shall be
responsible for ensuring the security of the mission to the maximum extent
possible while they are on territory under its control.
12.Without prejudice to the sovereignty of the requested State Party, the
fact-finding mission may bring into the territory of the requested State Party
the necessary equipment which shall be used exclusively for gathering
information on the alleged compliance issue. Prior to its arrival, the mission
will advise the requested State Party of the equipment that it intends to
utilize in the course of its fact-finding mission.
13.The requested State Party shall make all efforts to ensure that the
fact-finding mission is given the opportunity to speak with all relevant persons
who may be able to provide information related to the alleged compliance issue.
14.The requested State Party shall grant access for the fact-finding mission to
all areas and installations under its control where facts relevant to the
compliance issue could be expected to be collected. This shall be subject to any
arrangements that the requested State Party considers necessary for:
a.The protection of sensitive equipment, information and areas;
b.The protection of any constitutional obligations the requested State Party may
have with regard to proprietary rights, searches and seizures, or other
constitutional rights; or
c.The physical protection and safety of the members of the fact-finding mission.
In the event that the requested State Party makes such arrangements, it shall
make every reasonable effort to demonstrate through alternative means its
compliance with this Convention.
15.The fact-finding mission may remain in the territory of the State Party
concerned for no more than 14 days, and at any particular site no more than 7
days, unless otherwise agreed.
16.All information provided in confidence and not related to the subject matter
of the fact-finding mission shall be treated on a confidential basis.
17.The fact-finding mission shall report, through the Secretary-General of the
United Nations, to the Meeting of the States Parties or the Special Meeting of
the States Parties the results of its findings.
18.The Meeting of the States Parties or the Special Meeting of the States
Parties shall consider all relevant information, including the report submitted
by the fact-finding mission, and may request the requested State Party to take
measures to address the compliance issue within a specified period of time. The
requested State Party shall report on all measures taken in response to this
request.
19.The Meeting of the States Parties or the Special Meeting of the States
Parties may suggest to the States Parties concerned ways and means to further
clarify or resolve the matter under consideration, including the initiation of
appropriate procedures in conformity with international law. In circumstances
where the issue at hand is determined to be due to circumstances beyond the
control of the requested State Party, the Meeting of the States Parties or the
Special Meeting of the States Parties may recommend appropriate measures,
including the use of cooperative measures referred to in Article 6.
20.The Meeting of the States Parties or the Special Meeting of the States
Parties shall make every effort to reach its decisions referred to in paragraphs
18 and 19 by consensus, otherwise by a two-thirds majority of States Parties
present and voting.
Article 9
National
implementation measures
Each State Party shall take all appropriate legal, administrative and other
measures, including the imposition of penal sanctions, to prevent and suppress
any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Conventionundertaken by
persons or on territory under its jurisdiction or control.
Article 10
Settlement of
disputes
1.The States Parties shall consult and cooperate with each other to settle any
dispute that may arise with regard to the application or the interpretation of
this Convention. Each State Party may bring any such dispute before the Meeting
of the States Parties.
2.The Meeting of the States Parties may contribute to the settlement of the
dispute by whatever means it deems appropriate, including offering its good
offices, calling upon the States parties to a dispute to start the settlement
procedure of their choice and recommending a time-limit for any agreed
procedure.
3.This Article is without prejudice to the provisions of this Convention on
facilitation and clarification of compliance.
Article 11
Meetings of the
States Parties
1.The States Parties shall meet regularly in order to consider any matter with
regard to the application or implementation of this Convention, including:
a.The operation and status of this Convention;
b.Matters arising from the reports submitted under the provisions of this
Convention;
c.International cooperation and assistance in accordance with Article 6;
d.The development of technologies to clear anti-personnel mines;
e.Submissions of States Parties under Article 8; and
f.Decisions relating to submissions of States Parties as provided for in Article
5.
2.The First Meeting of the States Parties shall be convened by the
Secretary-General of the United Nations within one year after the entry into
force of this Convention. The subsequent meetings shall be convened by the
Secretary-General of the United Nations annually until the first Review
Conference.
3.Under the conditions set out in Article 8, the Secretary-General of the United
Nations shall convene a Special Meeting of the States Parties.
4.States not parties to this Convention, as well as the United Nations, other
relevant international organizations or institutions, regional organizations,
the International Committee of the Red Cross and relevant non-governmental
organizations may be invited to attend these meetings as observers in accordance
with the agreed Rules of Procedure.
Article 12
Review
Conferences
1.A Review Conference shall be convened by the Secretary-General of the United
Nations five years after the entry into force of this Convention. Further Review
Conferences shall be convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations if
so requested by one or more States Parties, provided that the interval between
Review Conferences shall in no case be less than five years. All States Parties
to this Convention shall be invited to each Review Conference.
2.The purpose of the Review Conference shall be:
a.To review the operation and status of this Convention;
b.To consider the need for and the interval between further Meetings of the
States Parties referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 11;
c.To take decisions on submissions of States Parties as provided for in Article
5; and
d.To adopt, if necessary, in its final report conclusions related to the
implementation of this Convention.
3.States not parties to this Convention, as well as the United Nations, other
relevant international organizations or institutions, regional organizations,
the International Committee of the Red Cross and relevant non-governmental
organizations may be invited to attend each Review Conference as observers in
accordance with the agreed Rules of Procedure.
Article 13
Amendments
1.At any time after the entry into force of this Convention any State Party may
propose amendments to this Convention. Any proposal for an amendment shall be
communicated to the Depositary, who shall circulate it to all States Parties and
shall seek their views on whether an Amendment Conference should be convened to
consider the proposal. If a majority of the States Parties notify the Depositary
no later than 30 days after its circulation that they support further
consideration of the proposal, the Depositary shall convene an Amendment
Conference to which all States Parties shall be invited.
2.States not parties to this Convention, as well as the United Nations, other
relevant international organizations or institutions, regional organizations,
the International Committee of the Red Cross and relevant non-governmental
organizations may be invited to attend each Amendment Conference as observers in
accordance with the agreed Rules of Procedure.
3.The Amendment Conference shall be held immediately following a Meeting of the
States Parties or a Review Conference unless a majority of the States Parties
request that it be held earlier.
4.Any amendment to this Convention shall be adopted by a majority of two-thirds
of the States Parties present and voting at the Amendment Conference. The
Depositary shall communicate any amendment so adopted to the States Parties.
5.An amendment to this Convention shall enter into force for all States Parties
to this Convention which have accepted it, upon the deposit with the Depositary
of instruments of acceptance by a majority of States Parties. Thereafter it
shall enter into force for any remaining State Party on the date of deposit of
its instrument of acceptance.
Article 14
Costs
1.The costs of the Meetings of the States Parties, the Special Meetings of the
States Parties, the Review Conferences and the Amendment Conferences shall be
borne by the States Parties and States not parties to this Convention
participating therein, in accordance with the United Nations scale of assessment
adjusted appropriately.
2.The costs incurred by the Secretary-General of the United Nations under
Articles 7 and 8 and the costs of any fact-finding mission shall be borne by the
States Parties in accordance with the United Nations scale of assessment
adjusted appropriately.
Article 15
Signature
This Convention, done at Oslo, Norway, on 18 September 1997, shall be open for
signature at Ottawa, Canada, by all States from 3 December 1997 until 4 December
1997, and at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 5 December 1997
until its entry into force.
Article 16
Ratification,
acceptance, approval or accession
1.This Convention is subject to ratification, acceptance or approval of the
Signatories.
2.It shall be open for accession by any State which has not signed the
Convention.
3.The instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession shall be
deposited with the Depositary.
Article 17
Entry into force
1. This Convention shall enter into force on the first day of the sixth month
after the month in which the 40th instrument of ratification, acceptance,
approval or accession has been deposited.
2. For any State which deposits its instrument of ratification, acceptance,
approval or accession after the date of the deposit of the 40th instrument of
ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, this Convention shall enter
into force on the first day of the sixth month after the date on which that
State has deposited its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or
accession.
Article 18
Provisional
application
Any State may at the time of its ratification, acceptance, approval or
accession, declare that it will apply provisionally paragraph 1 of Article 1 of
this Convention pending its entry into force.
Article 19
Reservations
The Articles of this Convention shall not be subject to reservations.
Article 20
Duration and
withdrawal
1.This Convention shall be of unlimited duration.
2.Each State Party shall, in exercising its national sovereignty, have the right
to withdraw from this Convention. It shall give notice of such withdrawal to all
other States Parties, to the Depositary and to the United Nations Security
Council. Such instrument of withdrawal shall include a full explanation of the
reasons motivating this withdrawal.
3.Such withdrawal shall only take effect six months after the receipt of the
instrument of withdrawal by the Depositary. If, however, on the expiry of that
six- month period, the withdrawing State Party is engaged in an armed conflict,
the withdrawal shall not take effect before the end of the armed conflict.
4.The withdrawal of a State Party from this Convention shall not in any way
affect the duty of States to continue fulfilling the obligations assumed under
any relevant rules of international law.
Article 21
Depositary
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is hereby designated as the
Depositary of this Convention.
Article 22
Authentic texts
The original of this Convention, of which the Arabic, Chinese, English, French,
Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the
Secretary-General of the United Nations.